- Airbus wins Chinese airline’s 101-plane order in victory over Boeing in key market
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“China Eastern Airlines said on Wednesday it placed a multibillion-dollar order for 101 Airbus A320neo aircraft, marking another success for the French company after it raked in big orders from Chinese airlines in December and amid uncertainties related to a widely speculated potential deal between its rival Boeing and Beijing. … Last year, Airbus secured orders for 148 A320 aircraft from several Chinese airlines and a state-owned aircraft leasing group. China Eastern was not part of that deal. While Airbus keeps taking in orders, the speculated Boeing deal has yet to materialise, with the delayed visit to China by US President Donald Trump adding more uncertainty.” (03/25/26)
- SCOTUS tosses $1 billion copyright verdict in record companies’ battle over illegal internet downloads
Source: Fox News
“The Supreme Court unanimously ruled Wednesday that internet providers are not liable for copyright infringement by their users, delivering an opinion in Cox v. Sony and tossing a $1 billion verdict. ‘Under our precedents, a company is not liable as a copyright infringer for merely providing a service to the public with knowledge that it will be used by some to infringe copyrights,’ Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in the opinion. ‘Accordingly, we reverse.’ The ruling marks a significant win for broadband providers facing pressure from copyright owners to police subscriber activity. Cox Communications now cannot be held liable for piracy by its internet service subscribers of songs owned by Sony Music, Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group and other labels, ending their billion-dollar-plus music copyright lawsuit.” (03/25/26)
- WI: Man who ordered ballots without consent found guilty of fraud and identity theft
Source: San Diego Union-Tribune
“A jury convicted a Wisconsin man of election fraud and identity theft for requesting the ballots of Republican state Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Democratic Racine Mayor Cory Mason without their consent. Jurors in Racine County on Tuesday found Harry Wait guilty of two misdemeanor election fraud charges and one felony identity theft charge following a two-day trial. He was acquitted of a second count of identity theft. Wait leads a group that makes false election claims, including that Wisconsin’s elections are riddled with fraud and that President Donald Trump won the 2020 election. Trump lost Wisconsin in 2020 by about 21,000 votes. Wait admitted in 2022 that he requested Vos’ and Mason’s ballots to try to prove that the state’s voter registration system is vulnerable to fraud.” (03/25/26)
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/03/25/wisconsin-ballot-fraud/
- In landmark UN vote, Ghana demands compensation for slavery
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Slavery was the ‘most horrendous crime that took place in the history of mankind,’ Ghana’s foreign minister has told the BBC ahead of a landmark vote at the UN General Assembly. Member states are set to vote on a resolution – led by Ghana — to recognise the transatlantic slave trade as ‘the gravest crime against humanity.’ The proposal urges UN member states to consider apologising for the slave trade and contributing to a reparations fund. The resolution is likely to face resistance, as countries like the UK have long rejected paying reparations, saying today’s institutions cannot be held responsible for past wrongs. But the proposal’s advocates, which include the African Union and the Caribbean Community, say it is a step towards healing and justice.” (03/25/26)
- Dog Bites Man: Pentagon Says It Will Ramp up Corporate Welfare to Arms Companies
Source: US News & World Report
“The Pentagon said on Wednesday it had reached framework agreements with BAE, Lockheed and Honeywell to boost production of defense systems and munitions as part of its shift to ‘wartime footing.’ … The announcements come more than three weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump and Israel launched a war on Iran.” (03/25/26)
- NC: Top Republican in Senate concedes race decided by 23 votes
Source: Fox News
“Top Republican in the North Carolina Senate Phil Berger conceded his GOP primary race Tuesday after a second recount left him behind by a mere 23 votes, ending Berger’s long hold on the Triad-area seat and setting up a leadership shake-up in a key battleground state. ‘While this was a close race, the voters have spoken, and I congratulate Sheriff Page on his victory,’ Berger wrote in a statement Tuesday after the results of the second recount confirmed Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page won the District 26 race. ‘Over the past 15 years, Republicans in the General Assembly have fundamentally redefined our state’s outlook and reputation. It has been an honor to play a role in that transformation.’ Berger’s defeat is a major upset in North Carolina politics, particularly after President Donald Trump had endorsed him and fellow state Republicans had reportedly urged Page to end the primary challenge.” (03/25/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/top-republican-north-carolina-senate-concedes-race-decided-23-votes
- US space stocks soar on accelerated SpaceX IPO
Souce: Investing.com
“Shares of U.S. space companies were trading sharply higher on Wednesday following a late Tuesday report by The Information that SpaceX is aiming to file its initial public offering prospectus with regulators later this week or next week. According to the report, SpaceX could seek to raise more than $75 billion in the IPO. Various media outlets previously reported that the company may be looking at a valuation of as high as $2 trillion.” (03/25/26)
- UK: Apple introduces age verification for iCloud accounts
Source: Engadget
“Apple has introduced more than just new features, like an AI playlist generator, with iOS 26.4 in the UK. The company now requires users in the region to verify their ages and to prove they’re 18 years old or above before they can access ‘certain services or features, or take certain actions on their account.’ Users can verify their ages in Settings by linking a credit card to their account or scanning an ID. For people who’ve had an Apple account for a while, the company will check if they already have a payment method on file that can prove they’re of age. The company says it will automatically switch on its Web Content Filter and Communication Safety features for everyone under 18 and for those who haven’t verified their ages.” (03/25/26)
- There’s a huge $14 billion bitcoin options expiry this Friday and it points to $75,000 as price magnet
Source: CoinDesk
“On Friday, bitcoin options or derivative contracts worth billions will expire on crypto exchange Deribit. Traders might want to note that the dynamics of the expiry are such that BTC’s market price could be lifted toward a very specific point: $75,000. Deribit, the world’s largest crypto options exchange, will settle bitcoin options contracts worth $14.16 billion on Friday at 08:00 UTC. This means nearly 40% of all open interest – the dollar value of all active contracts on the exchange – are set to expire in roughly 48 hours. On Deribit, one options contract represents one BTC. … According to Deribit’s data, the ‘max pain’ price — the level where the most contracts would expire worthless (lottery tickets that don’t win) — sits right at $75,000. As such, this level could act as a magnet, according to Deribit’s Chief Commerical Officer Jean-David Péquignot.” (03/25/26)
- Musketeer d’Artagnan’s remains believed found under Dutch church
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“More than 350 years after the death of legendary French musketeer d’Artagnan, remains have been found under the floor of a Dutch church that may well have been his. Jos Valke, who is deacon at St Peter and Paul Church in Maastricht, helped unearth the skeleton and is 99% certain that the remains belong to Charles de Batz de Castelmore, a close aide to France’s Sun King Louis XIV who was known as Count d’Artagnan. D’Artagnan was killed during the Siege of Maastricht in 1673, but later immortalised in the adventure stories of Alexandre Dumas as a friend of the Three Musketeers. His remains were long rumoured to have been buried in the church but no evidence has been found until now.” (03/25/26)
- Delta Air Lines temporarily halts perks for members of Congress, citing the partial government shutdown
Source: Business Insider
“Members of Congress may have to wait in line at the TSA checkpoint alongside everyone else if they fly with Delta. Delta Air Lines said on Tuesday that it has temporarily halted special airport services for members of Congress and their staff, including premium offerings such as terminal escorts that expedite security checks and its ‘red coat’ customer service assistance. ‘Due to the impact on resources from the longstanding government shutdown, Delta will temporarily suspend specialty services to members of Congress flying Delta,’ a spokesperson for the airline said.” (03/24/26)
- Government should expect no privacy
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal“Privacy is important. Not because you have anything to hide, but because it’s no one’s business. Otherwise, let’s get rid of restroom doors, curtains, or anything else that might shield our activities from everyone else’s eyes. Companies that help government spy on people are doing wrong. Digital ID. Flock cameras. Age verification. TSA scanners. Government’s co-conspirators are not the good guys. Not all surveillance is a bad thing, though. You should know everything about anyone who holds a government office. At the same time, they shouldn’t be able to learn anything about you. As long as those offices are allowed to exist — and they shouldn’t be — the standard should be that while you hold any government job, your life is an open book.” (03/25/26)
- LLMs and SCOTUS
Source: Bet On It
“Once you acknowledge the truism that AI output is speech, almost all regulation of AI is ipso facto illegal. Government has no more legal right to regulate AI than it has to regulate the New York Times. Even if you’re a convinced doomer, you have to admit that the danger of existing LLMs is not ‘clear and present,’ much less ‘imminent.’ If the Supreme Court has an iota of consistency, the AI industry will be able — barring an anti-AI amendment to the Constitution — to fend off virtually all regulation with ease. Does the Supreme Court have an iota of consistency? Based on past performance, the jury is still out.” (03/25/26)
- The Problem Isn’t “Kings;” the Problem Is US Presidents
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone“There’s another giant ‘No Kings’ protest scheduled for this weekend, and right now all I can think about is how disgusting it is that this is the closest thing to a mass-scale antiwar protest in the United States right now. The problem with the ‘No Kings’ protests is right there in the title. They’re saying ‘We don’t want a king, we want a president!’ But Donald Trump is not a king. He is a president. And that’s the real problem: US presidents are extremely evil men who do extremely evil things. Donald Trump is a US president who is doing US president things. US presidents consistently murder people with unforgivable acts of mass military violence, mistreat immigrants and marginalized communities, and promote tyranny for the benefit of corrupting special interests in defense of the US empire and the capitalist status quo. That’s what their job is.” (03/25/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/03/25/the-problem-isnt-kings-the-problem-is-us-presidents/
- Today’s Handmaidens of War
Source: The American Conservative
by Kelley Beaucar Vlahos“This is not a partisan affair. Experts in military strategy, regional history, and current power dynamics in the Middle East — as well as American politics and geoeconomics — are struggling to make sense of the U.S.–Israel war launched on February 28 and warn that its escalatory spiral is spinning out of control. But just like when the bloom was off the rose in late 2003, when the insurgencies and sectarian violence started emerging in Iraq and it was becoming clear that the Bush administration had no plan for ‘what’s next,’ the cheerleaders and shills are rushing to battle stations today to do everything to maintain some sort of rationalization for the disaster unfolding right before our eyes. This time, these messaging force-multipliers, tied directly or otherwise to the political and military machinery behind this war, shouldn’t get off so easily.” (03/25/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/todays-handmaidens-of-war/
- Free Speech for Me But Not For Thee
Source: Antiwar.com
by Andrew P Napolitano“Last week, the chair of the Federal Communications Commission threatened to rescind the broadcast licenses of media entities that do not relate events in Iran or Ukraine as the Trump administration would like them to be related. He also attacked The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times for the same reasons. This followed by one day a verbal attack on CNN by the Secretary of Defense who made known his bitter unhappiness with CNN’s coverage of the Iran war. Yet, CNN is not regulated by the FCC, which only regulates broadcast media — not cable or streaming; and newspapers, thanks be to God, are totally unregulated. So, what’s going on here? What’s going on is chilling.” (03/25/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/andrew-p-napolitano/2026/03/24/free-speech-for-me-but-not-for-thee-2
- A morsel of mercy that might save Venezuela
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff“Many nations that have emerged from internal conflict – Rwanda, Colombia, Indonesia, to name a few – have anchored their national reconciliations in acts of mercy. In its own peculiar way, Venezuela might now join this group, nearly three months after the United States removed its dictator, Nicolás Maduro, by force and charged him with narcoterrorism and drug trafficking. Most of Mr. Maduro’s colleagues remain in power in a deal made with U.S. President Donald Trump in the name of stability and a sharing of oil wealth. Yet the regime has also begun releasing political prisoners – just how many is in dispute. … Many of the political prisoners violated no law, or at least none based on democratic rights. And the proceedings for their release from prison are conducted in front of judges tied closely to the regime.” (03/24/26)
- Iran Can’t Accept Trump’s Absurd “Plan”
Source: Eunomia
by Daniel Larison“If the reported details are correct, the so-called plan includes many of the same unrealistic and maximalist demands that the administration has been making for the last year. It was based on the U.S. proposal from 2025 before the June war. It is hard to see why Iran would agree to such terms now when their government has more leverage than it had before. Strange as it may seem, the Iranian government is negotiating from a stronger position because of the war and the ensuing economic shock. If there is ever an agreement between the U.S. and Iran in the future, it will likely be on more favorable terms for Iran than if the war had never happened.” (03/25/26)
https://daniellarison.substack.com/p/iran-cant-accept-trumps-absurd-plan
- Mar-a-Lago, we have a problem: Trump talks too much
Source: The Hill
by Kevin Igoe“Most political consultants will tell you that a quality they treasure in their clients is the ability to stay on message. In the world of political communication, that means limiting the opportunity for the mainstream media to talk about issues not in your candidate’s best interest and instead driving home a poll-tested and winning message. The more the candidate ‘stays on message’ the less opportunity there is for the media to cover the campaign in a less favorable light. Trump is by far the most accessible president in my lifetime. In contrast to his predecessors, he takes questions from the media seemingly every day. … All of Trump’s expounding on a wide range of issues should be a good thing. But it is not. Why? Because when a president answers multiple questions in a day, the White House loses control of what the media reports during that news cycle.” (03/25/26)
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/5798604-trump-media-control-loss/
- “From the river to the sea” is now a criminal offense for millions of Australians. Arrests are underway.
Source: Expression
by Sarah McLaughlin“Two protesters were arrested on the first day of Queensland’s ban on the slogan ‘From the river to the sea.’ Authorities enforced the restriction as part of new rules regulating protest speech related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which also cover the chant ‘globalize the intifada.’ Offenders could face up to two years in prison. The first protester arrested was Liam Parry from Students for Palestine, who spoke at a march against the law outside the state parliament house. Parry reportedly gave a talk about the phrase, disputed the claim that it was antisemitic, and ‘discouraged others from chanting the slogan.’ Another protester was arrested for wearing a shirt with the message ‘From the river to the sea.” (03/25/26)
https://expression.fire.org/p/from-the-river-to-the-sea-is-now
- Every Debate On Pausing AI
Source: Astral Codex Ten
by Scott Alexander“SUPPORTER: America needs to start talking to China to come up with a bilateral agreement to pause AI. The agreement would need to be transparent, mutually enforceable, and … OPPONENT: We can’t unilaterally pause AI! China would destroy us! SUPPORTER: As I said, we need to start negotiating a bilateral agreement so that both sides will … OPPONENT: You fool! Don’t you know that while we unilaterally pause AI, China will be racing ahead and using their lead to erode our fundamental rights and freedoms? How could you be so naive!” (03/25/26)
- We don’t need to argue about AI to reduce the likelihood of catastrophe
Source: Sex and the State
by Cathy Reisenwitz“On the one hand, it’s not difficult at all for me to imagine an algorithm that could beat the pants off the smartest human when it comes to making decisions. We are not, classically, as a species, all that great at making choices that lead to the outcomes we say we want. Or even the outcomes we clearly do want. We are predictably irrational. We have all kinds of cognitive biases. I wrote a little about this not long ago in Cathy reads books: Enlightenment 2.0 review. On the other hand, I guess I’m enough of an AI scaremonger to be wary of things potentially going awry in a world in which one or several bots make all major decisions for humanity.” (03/25/26)
https://cathyreisenwitz.substack.com/p/we-dont-need-to-argue-about-ai-to
- Rising Sun Over the Arctic: Japan’s Arctic Journey from North Pacific Hegemon to Democratic Polar Partner
Source: Isonomia Quarterly
by Barry Scott Zellen“As the Arctic and adjacent ‘near-Arctic’ remilitarize and old Cold War fault lines between East and West re-remerge as salient boundaries defining new blocs of increasing mutually exclusive cooperation and strategic alignment, it’s not just NATO that’s rethinking the strategic foundations for a secure polar world in response to Russia’s military resurgence underway for over a decade now, culminating with its full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Across the Pacific from NATO’s North American member states … the states of Northeast Asia are also rethinking the foundations of Arctic security for their evolving Arctic policies, keeping pace with a fundamental geopolitical transformation of the region with roots that date as far back, ironically, as the Arctic Council’s 2013 cooperative expansion to include among its new non-Arctic observer states five Asian countries …” (03/25/26)
https://isonomiamag.substack.com/p/rising-sun-over-the-arctic-japans
- How to Keep ICE Agents Out of Your Devices at Airports
Source: The Intercept
by Nikita Mazurov“The only surefire way to keep your devices from being searched and seized is to simply not bring them with you on your trip. If you can’t leave them at home, consider mailing them to and from your destination. Another option is to leave devices that contain sensitive information at home and instead bring throwaway travel devices you’re willing to have searched or confiscated. This doesn’t need to be an expensive proposition. You can reformat and repurpose an old phone or tablet, or purchase refurbished older models that are comparatively cheap. Then buy a temporary SIM card or eSIM so that you’re not using your usual number. Remember to let contacts know that for the duration of your trip you’ll be reachable at a different number. Create a travel account for these devices.” (03/25/26)
https://theintercept.com/2026/03/25/ice-airports-phone-security-privacy-safety/
- Better Uses for the Money Pete Hegseth Wants to Throw at Trump’s Illegal Iran War
Source: OtherWords
by Lindsay Koshgarian“Secretary of War Pete Hegseth would rather use your tax dollars to bomb Iranian families than feed American families. That’s the upshot of news that Hegseth is prepared to request $200 billion in funding for the Pentagon’s new war on Iran. That’s far higher than earlier reports that put the request at $50 billion or $100 billion. And all of these astounding sums would come on top of the $1 trillion already budgeted for the Pentagon, itself a record. It should be clear: Funding this unjust, unpopular, and illegal war comes directly at the expense of ordinary Americans.” [editor’s note: And so would the cost of funding all the “social programs” the author recommends. How about cutting out ALL that spending instead of stealing the money? – TLK](03/25/26)
https://otherwords.org/our-tax-dollars-should-be-funding-our-communities-not-trumps-war/
- An Intensely Focused Mind
Source: Law & Liberty
by Caroline Breashears“Adam Smith was an absent-minded professor who was somehow able to see further than anyone else.” (03/25/26)
- What Did Republicans Expect?
Source: The Contrarian
by Jennifer Rubin“Republicans made a calculated bet that by indulging Donald Trump’s ill-conceived and cruel schemes (e.g., unleashing ICE on cities, tariffs, wars with Venezuela and Iran, slashing healthcare to pay for tax cuts for the rich), the country would somehow stumble through. They figured congressional Republicans would share in any successes but somehow avoid any blame when things (inevitably) went haywire. Politics rarely works out that way.” (03/25/26)
https://www.contrariannews.org/p/what-did-republicans-expect
- The Durable Appeal of Doom
Source: Mindset Shifts
by Barry Brownstein“The hateful logic of the Nazis is find your villain and assign all blame to them, then the complexity of the world collapses into a satisfying and murderous solution. Nazis logic did not die with the Third Reich. Paul Ehrlich passed away earlier this month, at 93, and his passing is an occasion to examine another expression of the same underlying habit of mind. Ehrlich was not an antisemite. His villain was humanity itself. … What makes Ehrlich’s life so instructive is not that he was wrong — he was wrong in ways almost beyond reckoning — but that his wrongness was so elaborately rewarded.” (03/25/26)
https://mindsetshifts.substack.com/p/the-durable-appeal-of-doom
- US Sanctions on Venezuela Continue: Corporate Beneficiaries and a Targeted Society
Source: Common Dreams
by Roger D Harris“In the wake of Washington’s January 3 military attack and then problematic détente with Caracas, corporate media suggest a meaningful shift in Venezuela policy, implying relief for a country long subjected to economic coercion. However, far from dismantling the sanctions regime, the US has merely adjusted its application through licensing mechanisms, leaving the core structure of coercive measures fully intact. Reuters reported, ‘US lifts some Venezuela sanctions,’ followed by news of sanctions being further ‘eased.’ … Not a Single Sanction Has Been Rescinded.” (03/25/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/venezuela-sanctions-continue
- Don’t Legislate Morality: Most Americans Can’t Agree on What’s Immoral
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille“The moral argument for not making laws about many — especially victimless — activities is that people have a right to live their own lives so long as they don’t hurt anybody else. That’s a convincing case for those of us who naturally gravitate to a live-and-let-live take on life. But it’s unpersuasive to the growing ranks of those inclined to control freakery in these illiberal times, and who believe the state should step in to control bad things. The strongest rebuttal to the authoritarian case is that people so vigorously disagree as to what constitutes ‘bad’ that efforts to regulate a whole host of activities invite noncompliance. Recent polling provides evidence that Americans disagree on many issues.” (03/25/26)
https://reason.com/2026/03/25/dont-legislate-morality-most-americans-cant-agree-on-whats-immoral/
- We Did Win, Didn’t We?
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Charles Goyette“‘We’ve won. Let me tell you, we’ve won. You know, you never like to say too early you won. We won. We won the – in the first hour it was over. We won,’ President Donald Trump declared, claiming ‘we won’ five times in just thirteen seconds at a Kentucky rally on March 11. We’ve seen such misbegotten braggadocio before. Six weeks into the elective invasion of Iraq, President George W. Bush starred in a campaign stunt when he landed on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier wearing a flight suit. He stood under a ‘Mission Accomplished’ banner ordered up and paid for by White House spinmeisters. It was the ‘end of major combat operations,’ Bush said. Only it wasn’t.” (03/25/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/we-did-win-didnt-we
- The War on Wind Continues
Source: Paul Krugman
by Paul Krugman“We are now in a global fossil fuel crisis. With oil and liquefied natural gas from the Persian Gulf unable to reach international markets due to Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, hydrocarbon prices have been soaring around the world and widespread shortages are emerging. Anyone who thought that the U.S. would be insulated from this dire picture thanks to its large domestic oil production has had a rude awakening: the average retail price of gasoline has risen more than $1 per gallon over the past month, while the price of diesel is up $1.60. But the Trump administration hasn’t allowed these short-run distractions to divert it from its long-run goals: It remains deeply committed to killing renewable energy, especially wind power, and increasing America’s reliance on fossil fuels.” (03/25/26)
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/the-war-on-wind-continues
- Modern Tech Irrelevant
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob“‘I’ve never been more pleased by ‘losing’ in my life,’ tweeted Jay Bhattacharya. What makes the Director of the National Institutes of Health a ‘loser?’ Well, the doctor (who also serves as current Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control) has not always served in the federal government. In his days between Trump administrations he’d run afoul of censors on social media. Now he’s jubilant that a major case against censorship has come to a freedom-of-speech conclusion.” (03/25/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/03/25/modern-tech-irrelevant/
- Fakery Is the Key to the Right’s Cultural and Political Dominance
Source: Liberal Currents
by Denny Carter“The idea that there are huge swaths of the United States populace who want and need the right wing’s unreality — their alternative reality — is a farce: a gaudy, festering artifice constructed and maintained by a million people who need it to be real for financial, political, and cultural purposes. And it was on full horrifying display during Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara, where Bad Bunny sang his catchy Spanish-language pop tunes at halftime, intermingled with some nonoffensive and rather hopeful political messaging. This was preemptively framed by the American right as an assault on the country itself: a Spanish-speaking Latino man doing Latin music during the nation’s biggest sporting event. During a time of revanchist white supremacy, this would simply not do. … So they fled, as they always do, to an alternative venue: an all-American halftime show hosted by Turning Point USA.” (03/25/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/fakery-is-the-key-to-the-rights-cultural-and-political-dominance/
- The Center Would Not Hold
Source: Law & Liberty
by Eddie Larow“America is more fragmented and polarized than since the Civil War. More and more Americans are seeking refuge in the arms of movements seeking to upend the status quo. The center of the political world is losing more and more as the extremes offer alternatives and possible solutions to economic and cultural issues. Lest we think this is unique, history has a way of reminding us that something has already happened. The more our polarization grows, the more it seems that we are living in the Weimarization of America. This is not to say that America is becoming Germany, but instead that there is a dissatisfaction with the system that is similar to Germany on the cusp of the rise of Hitler.” (03/25/26)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/the-center-would-not-hold/
- Drive out wealth, then beg: Hochul’s New York in a nutshell
Source: Fox News
by Steve Forbes“New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s recent plea for wealthy residents to return to the Empire State reveals more than she likely intended. When a state’s chief executive effectively says, ‘We need your money,’ it’s not a sign of strength, it’s an admission that the model is broken. Her plea to well-to-do former residents comes across as a comedy skit: New York is already overtaxed and overregulated, but please come back as we are in the process of enacting higher taxes and imposing more anti-growth regulations. For years, New York has operated under the illusion that ever-higher taxes and ever-expanding government services can coexist with economic dynamism. That illusion is now colliding with reality.” (03/25/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/steve-forbes-drive-out-wealth-then-beg-hochuls-new-york-nutshell
- The Immorality of Trump’s War with Iran Matters
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Connor O’Keeffe“As all of this has unfolded in the last three weeks — the surprise attack during negotiations, the violent deaths of Iranian civilians as a result of US and Israeli bombs, and the credible threats of escalations that would significantly intensify civilian deaths — anyone who has voiced any concern about the ethics of any of this has been either dismissed by the administration and its supporters as a naïve utopian pacifist or demonized as a serious internal impediment to an operation that will finally bring about the kind of lasting regional peace that virtually everyone claims to desire. But ethics matter, especially in war. War is no trivial subject. It’s violence on the widest scale. At their best, wars can throw off the worst tyrannies and liberate the oppressed. But they can also bring about the worst atrocities.” (03/25/26)
https://mises.org/mises-wire/immorality-trumps-war-iran-matters
- Why Adam Smith Embraced Commercial Society: The Wealth of Nations, Book 3
Source: EconLog
by Dennis C Rasmussen“Much of Book 3 is dedicated to a historical account of how and why the feudal order that prevailed throughout Europe for many centuries eventually gave way to a liberal, commercial order—that is, how a world dominated by hierarchy, dependence, and intrastate conflict was superseded by one in which the rule of law reigned and people enjoyed comparative freedom and safety. Smith’s account of how the feudal lords squandered their immense power for the sake of frivolous luxuries has become a famous one.” 903/25/26)
https://www.econlib.org/library/columns/y2026/rasmussen-wn250-3
- The EU’s Digital Markets Act Failed. Why Are US Politicians Copying It?
Source: The Daily Economy
by Satya Marar“Two years after the European Union (EU)’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) took effect, the results have been mixed to negative. Promises about certainty, lower enforcement costs, and a more innovative and competitive digital ecosystem haven’t materialized. Rather than learn from Europe’s mistakes, Californian policymakers and federal proponents of Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)’s American Innovation and Choice Online Act (AICOA) would import similar ideas to ostensibly help small businesses and hold tech giants accountable. The EU’s experience shows that DMA-style proposals aren’t just unlikely to achieve these goals. They’re also likely to harm consumers, competition, and innovation.” (03/25/26)
- Gulf War I was a Pyrrhic victory that led to another avoidable war today
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Martin Di Caro“This is a story of the unintended consequences of a Pyrrhic victory celebrated 35 years ago as a history-making triumph. As the U.S. fights its latest war in the Persian Gulf — this time against Iran, the country that benefited most from Saddam Hussein’s demise — it’s a good moment to reflect on Operation Desert Storm. That intervention now appears to have been an avoidable war that set the United States on a disastrous course from which it has failed to extricate itself. What seemed like a clean victory in 1991 has turned into a strategic quagmire.” (03/25/26)
- Trump’s $1 billion payoff to stop offshore wind is even stranger than it sounds
Source: Grist
by Jake Bittle & Rebecca Egan McCarthy“The government is paying TotalEnergies to halt a wind farm it isn’t building, in exchange for fossil fuel investments it’s already making.” (03/25/26)
https://grist.org/politics/trump-interior-offshore-wind-total/
- Early — and Painful — Lessons From the Iran War
Source: The Dispatch
by Jonah Goldberg“The Trump administration has been obsessed with maximizing the president’s war powers to justify his agenda on such things as industrial policy, immigration, domestic deployment of the National Guard, and, most glaringly, trade. But now, when we’re actually at war, officials are reversing their economic philosophy in service to Trump’s seat-of-the-pants decision-making. Trump’s trade policies are exactly what the great 19th-century economist Henry George had in mind when he warned, ‘What protectionism teaches us, is to do to ourselves in time of peace what enemies seek to do to us in time of war.’ What’s so strange is that Trump is turning George on his head by easing economic pressure on our wartime enemy. But he’s also reversing his own biases by liberating our domestic economy.” (03/25/26)
- Here’s the Proposed Deal to Fund Most of DHS
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen“The very quiet shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security got louder in the past week as lines outside TSA airport security checkpoints grew to tremendous lengths. … Congress seemed to get really interested once Delta suspended its special service that allowed members of the House and Senate to skip security lines. Funny how that works. The framework of the emerging deal was on the table before the shutdown even began. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) introduced a bill in February to fund other parts of DHS, but not ICE or Customs and Border Protection (CBP), while negotiations continued. What’s being discussed in the Senate would go further: Every agency in DHS, including CBP, would get funding except for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), the entity that finds and detains people. Republicans would then seek to fund ERO as part of a broader budget reconciliation bill on a party-line vote.” (03/25/26)
- $200 Billion for Trump’s Iran “Excursion” is Real Money
Source: CounterPunch
by Dean Baker“Most people have little understanding of what is big or small in the federal budget, in large part because the media have made a conscious decision to not inform people. Rather than taking ten seconds to indicate what share of the budget a particular item is, they just write huge numbers in the millions or billions, knowing they are completely meaningless to almost everyone who sees them. With this in mind, I thought it would be useful to write a piece pointing out that the $200 billion (2.9% of the budget) Trump plans to ask to cover the cost of his war in Iran is, in fact, a big deal. While this is still less than what we spend on huge social programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, it is far larger than most of the items that are subject of major political debates.” (03/25/26)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/03/25/200-billion-for-trumps-iran-excursion-is-real-money/
- Donald Trump and Markwayne Mullin Insist That Politics Should Prevail Over Principle
Source: Reason
by Jacob Sullum“The president and his new DHS secretary are enraged by jurists and legislators who refuse to toe the party line.” (03/25/26)
https://reason.com/2026/03/25/trump-and-mullin-insist-that-politics-should-prevail-over-principle/
- Reason Interview: Adam Carolla
Source: Reason
“Why No One Under 30 Trusts Legacy Media.” (03/25/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/03/25/adam-carolla-why-no-one-under-30-trusts-legacy-media/
- Conversations with Coleman, 03/25/26
Source: Conversations with Coleman
“Glenn Greenwald vs. Coleman Hughes Debate: Does Israel Control U.S. Foreign Policy?” (03/25/26)
- Reasonably Optimistic, 03/25/26
Source: Washington Post
“Health care is life or death. How can Americans be rational about it?” (03/25/26)
- The Daily, 03/25/26
Source: New York Times
“Are Higher Energy Prices Here to Stay?” (03/25/26)
- TAC Right Now, 03/25/26
Source: The American Conservative
“Iran and the New World Disorder.” (03/25/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/tac-right-now-iran-and-the-new-world-disorder/
- Rising, 03/25/26
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave gives his radar on Rep. Maxine Waters eyeing a leadership role if Democrats retake the House this year, despite being 87 years old.” (03/25/26)
- Half the Answer, episode 74
Source: Liberal Currents
“What’s happened in New York City since Zohran Mamdani became mayor in January? Has it become a Marxist-Islamic bastion, ruled by a soviet in the succeeding three months? Trent and Caitlin discuss the Sharia Socialism of NYC Mayor Mamdani, plus the naked vice signaling and stove-touching of the GOP, with author Ryan Cooper.” (03/25/26)
- The Briefing Podcast with Michael Waldman
Source: Brennan Center for Justice
“How to Improve America’s Prisons (with L.B. Eisen and Randall Liberty).” (03/25/26)
- Ron Paul Liberty Report, 03/25/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Will Congress Give Trump Another $200 Billion For The Iran War?” (03/25/26)
- The Political Orphanage, 03/25/26
Source: The Political Orphanage
“Parenting Behind Bars.” (03/25/26)
- The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 03/25/26
Source: The Dispatch
“Machiavelli and Rational Control | Interview: Harvey Mansfield.” (03/25/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/remnant/machiavelli-and-rational-control-interview-harvey-mansfield/
- Politico Playbook Audio Briefing, 03/25/26
Source: Politico
“Democrats got more big wins on Tuesday night, flipping two legislative seats in reliably red Florida, including the district containing President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home. The wins don’t dent Florida Republicans’ supermajority, but they mark more performances for Democrats that have defied expectations ahead of the pivotal midterm elections. Playbook’s Jack Blanchard and White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns discuss the warning signs for Republicans, and a notable Trump absence.” (03/25/26)
- The Daily Blast With Greg Sargent, 03/25/26
Source: The New Republic
“Trump Tirades on Iran Take Ugly, Sadistic Turn as Crushing Polls Hit.” (03/25/26)
https://newrepublic.com/article/208152/trump-tirades-iran-take-ugly-sadistic-turn-crushing-polls-hit
- Cato Daily Podcast, 03/24/26
Source: Cato Institute
“Surf, Speech, and Government Cartels.” (03/24/26)
https://www.cato.org/multimedia/cato-podcast/surf-speech-government-cartels